


John Watson's Quest for Normalcy

by the_etymologist



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Character Analysis, Character Development, Meta, Season/Series 03
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-24
Updated: 2014-01-24
Packaged: 2018-01-09 21:26:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1150961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_etymologist/pseuds/the_etymologist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seriously, I’m just still trying to make sense of what the hell is happening with John is season 3</p>
            </blockquote>





	John Watson's Quest for Normalcy

John isn’t as close to the viewing audience as before, that he’s withdrawn and that we’re much more engaged in Sherlock’s emotions and development than in John’s – despite the fact that traditionally, John is the substitute viewer, the one we can relate to and the one who makes Sherlock accessible to us.

Series 3 John is very different. He truly isn’t in Sherlock’s world anymore. He relapses, occasionally, as when he’s going to the crack house gagging for a fight early in ep 3, but on the whole he is committed to become a family man; a doctor, not a soldier; a husband, not a bromatic ‘not gay’ eternal flatmate; to have a wife and a baby instead of an overgrown genius kid and his omnipotent brother.

When we met John, he was a war veteran: depressed, borderline-suicidal, bored. Then Sherlock came and turned his life around, showing him that it was fine have a danger kink, to share a bachelor flat instead of paying off a mortgage, to run around dark alleys at night instead of setting up a stable career path.

Then Sherlock died, and John sank back into darkness for more than one and a half years, until Mary came along. He says she turned his life around again, and his actions make clear in which direction: after only three months he proposed. A few months on, and he’s married and a proud father-to-be (we don’t know how much John and Mary planned this, but his reaction is unambiguously happy). He’s only a visitor at Baker Street and as much as he promised Sherlock that this wouldn’t change anything, ep 3 shows us that Mrs Hudson was right.

And look at that wedding! It doesn’t get more traditionally romantic! I’m in my late 20s, so the weddings are piling up around me, but not even my more conservative family members had anything so strictly from a romance novel.

Look at the proposal! Fancy dinner, champagne and a three-months-salary engagement ring.

Look at his life! The suburbs, new car, modest debt and a kid on the way! Even if he can’t escape the siren song of adventure, he wants to want this so much!

(And by the way, look at Mary! If she is all she is shown to be in series 3, then she wants to leave the danger and crime behind her as well and settle down with a nice family. It would be kind of cool in series 4 if both of them realized amicably that this is not what they’re cut out for. And John moves back into 221b and Mary works for Mycroft… on the side of the angels, this time. Oh well, a girl can dream…)

Anyway, people with a normal life are not co-dependent on their eccentric best-friends. John might put Sherlock up there on the “most loved”-list with Mary, but they can’t dance together. Mary is his wife, and Sherlock is his best friend, as is proper. And if that means that he’ll have to Sherlock fade away from his life and nod solemnly as he goes on a dangerous undercover mission – shake hands and keep a stiff upper lip - then so be it.

And this is why he has to forgive Mary. He has to believe in her redemption, in the possibility of a completely new life and a changed character for her, because if she can do it, so can he. So he lets the past be past and eagerly believes Sherlock when he tells him that Mary saved his life (although she really, really didn’t).

However, as disappointed as I was with many aspects of series, I can’t believe that the writers will settle for domestic!John in series 4. Series 3 was comparatively light – there was a lot less angst, grief and turmoil than in series 2, but I think that was a brief interlude. A brittle calm before the storm. Something will happen that makes John realize that even if he tries to be as normal and stable and far from danger as he can, it won’t protect him from loss and grief, and that he cannot live the life of the nice GP next door. Whatever happens to Mary (on what side will she end up?) or the baby (it will be interesting to see how the writers will get out of this one) or Sherlock, John will return to 221b. As eternal flatmate, best friend, blogger, or however else they decide to handle their relationship.


End file.
